Employee wellness programs are more than an added benefit — they are a strategic investment in both population health and organizational performance.
With employees spending at least one-third of their day at work, the workplace plays a critical role in shaping physical, mental and emotional well-being. When employers intentionally design, customize and promote wellness initiatives, they create healthier teams while also driving measurable business outcomes, from lower healthcare costs to improved productivity, retention & ROI.
“When wellness is embedded into your culture, it shows leadership cares about their employees,” says Lauren Hutchens, National Director of Health Coaching at Marathon Health. “It’s a culture tool, and it’s an investment in people.”
From tobacco cessation programs to workshops on healthy eating or managing stress, it’s important for employers to offer a variety of workplace wellness programs that can be customized to your population.
Why are employee wellness programs important?
Employee wellness programs are no longer a “nice to have” — they’re a strategic imperative. With rising healthcare costs, increasing rates of chronic disease, and higher levels of workplace stress and burnout, employers are uniquely positioned to influence population health in a meaningful way.
Because employees spend a significant portion of their day at work, the workplace environment directly impacts physical, mental and emotional health. When employers prioritize wellness, they help normalize preventive care, healthy behaviors and early intervention.
Wellness programs also reinforce culture. They send a clear message that leadership values employee well-being, not just productivity. Over time, this contributes to stronger engagement, improved morale and a workplace where people feel supported — not just managed.
Choosing the right workplace wellness programs
When partnering with an employer healthcare model or wellness vendor, make sure they fully explain their program offerings.
“Every year, we publish a catalog that outlines the wellness programs we support. It’s a tool for us to have a conversation with our customers about their goals for the year and what success looks like for them,” Hutchens says. “Our goal is to develop meaningful programs that offer value to the employer and to your employees.”
Workplace wellness program examples
- Healthy Hearts Program: Informative and interactive group program focusing on heart health. Topics include overviews of blood pressure and cholesterol guidelines, along with lifestyle choices such as exercise, nutrition and stress management to support heart health.
- Drop-in Walking Program: Health center providers offer informal walking groups at set times throughout the week.
- Meditation and Mindfulness: Participants learn the benefits of mindfulness and participate in a guided meditation practice.
Shannon Isom, Marathon Health Director of Engagement, stresses the importance of using data — which can be gathered through claims or surveys — to make informed decisions about what workplace wellness programs to adopt. For example, if a large portion of the employee population suffers from diabetes, the employer might choose to offer diabetes management programs.
You should also keep seasonality in mind, aligning with national designations like American Heart Month in February or the Great American Smokeout in November. Weather matters too, especially for programs that encourage walking.
Ways to increase participation in wellness programs
To increase employee participation in wellness programs, you can offer incentives, like insurance premium reductions and gift cards. For example, the City of Plantation uses a “Three Steps to Wellness” program.
“Everybody knows about it, and they know their health numbers,” says Beverly Ambrosio, City of Plantation Benefits and Wellness Manager. “If they complete a biometric screening, health risk assessment and annual physical, they end up paying about 11% less on their health insurance.”
Employees earn additional points for receiving preventive care, such as getting a flu shot, meeting with a health coach, and by participating in regular fitness challenges, wellness classes, and online workshops.
“Once you hit five points, you get a $75 gift card. And if you get 10 points, you get another $75 gift card,” Ambrosio says.
While incentives provide great extrinsic motivators to increase employee participation in wellness programs, intrinsic rewards will help support long-term health outcomes.
“If we’re running a program, we need to make sure it brings an intrinsic value to the members to really experience long-lasting change,” Hutchens says. “We can offer the program, but employer support is key.”
Benefits like allowing people to attend wellness programming on the clock or encouraging managers to support their employees in attending sessions and webinars show you care.
“When we run a program, we always look for a way to incorporate more than education,” Hutchens adds. “If someone wants to know how to lose weight, they can Google it. Our goal is to support patients in understanding how they can make the changes to support healthy weight loss goals. After the 4, 8 or 12 weeks are up, we show them how Marathon Health can continue to support them beyond the initial program.”
How employee wellness programs benefit employers
Effective employee wellness programs create measurable business value.
First, they can help reduce healthcare costs by addressing chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity before they escalate. Preventive screenings, health coaching and condition management programs support earlier intervention and better outcomes.
Second, wellness initiatives can reduce absenteeism and presenteeism. Employees who are physically and mentally healthier are more focused, energized and productive at work.
Third, wellness programs strengthen retention and recruitment. In a competitive labor market, comprehensive wellness offerings differentiate employers and demonstrate a long-term investment in employees.
Finally, wellness programming supports organizational resilience. When employees have access to stress management tools, mental health resources and preventive care, they are better equipped to navigate workplace and personal challenges.
How to measure the ROI of employee wellness programs
To understand the true value of employee wellness programs, employers must define success early and measure both health and business outcomes.
Start by establishing clear goals. Are you aiming to reduce healthcare claims related to chronic disease? Improve biometric outcomes? Increase preventive care utilization? Boost engagement scores?
Common metrics to track include:
- Healthcare claims trends and per-member per-month (PMPM) costs
- Participation rates in wellness programs
- Biometric screening improvements (blood pressure, cholesterol, A1C, BMI)
- Preventive care compliance rates
- Absenteeism and short-term disability claims
- Employee engagement and satisfaction survey results
It’s also important to consider value on investment (VOI), not just return on investment (ROI). VOI includes harder-to-quantify outcomes such as improved morale, stronger culture and increased employee loyalty.
Partnering with a healthcare provider or wellness vendor that offers robust reporting and analytics ensures you can track outcomes over time and continuously refine your strategy.
Marathon Health: your workplace wellness program partner
Success with employee wellness programs takes a true partnership, no matter who you choose to work with. “It’s not only Marathon’s responsibility, but also the client’s responsibility as well to partner with each other to support the wellness or the betterment of their population,” Isom says.
To create a seamless approach for clients, Isom says Marathon Health works on an employee communications plan to increase engagement in workplace wellness programming.
“Your provider knows when you’re participating in a program so they can help support and encourage you,” Hutchens says. “It’s not all these individual silos that we’re putting on the patient to manage. It’s saying, ‘We’re coming alongside you as a team in this journey to support you.’ How we bring it all together is what really makes a difference.”
Discover how Marathon Health's advanced primary care model paired with health coaching and wellness initiatives provides an integrated approach to healthy living.